The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-17
and no Christ in the robes Bigo-

travellers went dIlQ lOOheu at t[ldI ODtuSh,
but they did not walk around it. One |
man looked at one side, another at au- |
other side and they came home, each one |
looking at only one side; and they hap |
pened to meet, the story says, and they |
got into rank quarrel about the color of |
that obelisk One man said it was white,
another man said it was green, another
man said it was blue, and when they
were in the very heat Of the controversy
more intelligent traveller came and said:
Gentlemen, / have seen that obelisk
and you are all right, and you are all
wrong. Why didn't you walk all around
the obelisk?'
Look out for the man who sees only
one side of a religious truth. Look out
for the man who never walks around
about these great theories of God and
eternity and the dead. He will be bigot
inevitably-the man who only sees one
side. There is no man more to be pitied
than he who has in his head just one idea
no more, no less. More light, less
sectarianism. There is nothing that will
so soon kill bigotry as sunshine
| sunshine.
H. So ! have set before you what /
consider to be the causes of bigotry.
have set before you the origin Of this
| great evil. What are some of the bale
full effects? First of all it cripples investi-
| cation. You are wrong, and am right,
and that ends it. No taste for exploration,
no spirit of investigation. From the
glorious realm of Gods truth, over
which an archangel might fly from eter-
nifty to eternity and not reach the limit,
the man shuts himself out and dies, a
blind mole under corn shock 1t stops
| all investigation.
While each denomination of lristians
is to present all the truths of the Bible, it
seems to me that God has given to each
denomination an especial mission to give
particular emphasis to some one doctrine;
and so the Calvanistic churches must pre-
sent the sovereignty of God, and the
Arninian churches must present mans
free agency, and the Episcopal churches
must present the Importance of order
and solemn ceremony, and the Baptist
churches must present the necessity of
ordinances, and the Congregational
church must present the responsibility of
the individual member, and the Metho-
dist church must show what holy enthu-
siasm, hearty congregational singing can
accomplish. While each denomination
| OI SIIISllduS Ilubt SCI III IhC %OO-
trines of the Bible, I feel il is especially
incumbent upon each denomination to
put particular emphasis on some one doc
trine.
Another great damage done by the
sectarianism and bigotry of the church
is that it disgusts people with the Chris
tan religion. Now, my friends, the
Church of God was never intended for a
war barrack. People are afraid of a
riot. You go down the street and you
see an excitement, and missiles flying
through the air. and you hear the shock
of firearms. Do you. the peaceful and
industrious citizen, go through that
street? Oh, no! you will say, I'm go
around the block" Now. men come
and look upon this narrow path to heav-
en-, and sometimes see the ecclesiastical
brickbats flying every whittier, and they
say, ''Well, / guess I'll take the broad
road; if it is SO rough. and there is so
much sharp shooting on the narrow road,
J / guess I'll try the broad road. "
Francis so hated the Lutherans that
he said if he thought there was one drop
| of Lutheran blood in his veins he would
puncture them and let that drop out.
Just as long as there is so much hostility
between denomination and denomina-
ton, or between one professed Christian
and another, or between one church and
another, just SO long men will be dis
: glisted with the Christian religion, and
say, 'sIf that is religion. / want none
of it,
Again, bigotry and sectarianism dc
great damage in the fact that they hin
der the triumph of the Gospel. Oh, how
i | 4ol lNr
men of splendid intellect have given theil
whole life to controversial disputes
> when, if they had given their life t.
sSNething practical they might have beer
4 " useful Suppose this morning
N4Ms | speak, there were a common
8 ene,.sk coming up the bay through tn
a Narrows, and all the forts around New
York began to fire into each other, yoi
= would cry out, National suicidel VIII.
: don't those forts blaze away In on,
a direction, and that against the common
s enemy2'' A yet sometimes see in tn,
! church of the Lord Jesus Christ strang
{ thing going on; church against church
minister against minister, denomination
: against denomination, firing away int.
their own fort. or the fort which ough
4 to be on the same side. instead of con
= centrating their energy and giving on
mighty and everlasting volley against th,
\ navies of darkness riding up through tn
u bay.
go out sometimes in the summer, an,
P find two beehives, and these two hive
!, are in quarrel. / come near enough
u not to be stung, but / come Just nea
enough to hear the controversy, and ON
beehive says, THAT field of clover is tn
sweetest and another beehive says
/ THAT field of clover is the sweetest. -
u come in between them, and I say, "Sto
. this quarrel; If you like that field O
clover best. go there; If you like that fell
e of clover best, go there; but let me tel
Il you that that hive which gets the mos
. honey is the best hive" So come on
y between the churches of the Lord Jesu
Christ. One denomination of Christian
o says, THAT field of Christian doctrine
: best. and another says, .This field o
u Christian doctrine is best" Well, ! say
> $50 where you get the most honey.
That is the best church which gets tn
q most honey of Christian grace for th
q heart, and the most honey of Christian
= usefulness for the life.
. Besides that, if you want to build III
= any denomination you viii never build i
y
Intolerance never put anything down
y How much has intolerance accomplished
: for instance, against t he Methods
= church? For long years her ministr,
Z We're forbidden the pulpits of Grea
8 Britain. Why was it that SO many O
!. them preached in the fields? Simply be
cause they could not get in the churches
= And the name of the church was givsI
in derision and as sarcasm. The critic.
; of the church said. They have no order
they have no method in their worship
and the critics. therefore. in irony callef
them ''Methodists.
am told that in Astor library. New
! York, kept as curiosities, there are 70-
books and pamphlets against Methodism.
Did intolerance stop that church? No
it is either first OF second amid the de
nominations Of Christendom. her mis-
sionaxy stations in all parts of the world
her men not only important in religious
trusts, but important also in secular
trusts. Church marching on, and the
more intolerance against it the faster i
marched.
What did intolerance accomplish,
against the Baptist church? If Laughing
scorn and TRADE could have DESTROYED
the church it would not have today a
disciple left.
The Baptists were hurled out of Boston
in olden times. Those who sympathized
with them Were confined, and when a
petition was offered asking lenieney in
their behalf, all the men who signed it
were indicted. Has intolerance stopped
the Baptist church, The last statistics in
regard toit showed about 80, 600 churches
and 100000 communicates, Intoler-
ance never put downenytlikg.
In England a law wal made against